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Girdle of Gold
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Montgomery Tully
Written by	Jack Dawe
Produced by	Darcy Conyers Audrey Hirst
Starring	Esmond Knight Maudie Edwards Meredith Edwards
Cinematography	Jack Asher
Edited by	James Needs
Music by	Philip Green
Production company	London Screenplays
Distributed by	Eros Films
Release date	1952 (1952)
Running time	66 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English

Girdle of Gold is a 1952 British second feature^[1] comedy film directed by Montgomery Tully and starring Esmond Knight, Maudie Edwards and Meredith Edwards.^[2]

Plot

In a small Welsh town, Griffiths the Hearse, a crafty undertaker, hides £150 that he has kept from his wife in the lining of her girdle. Unknown to him she is about to elope with Evans the Milk, the local milkman. Shortly before she does, she sells the girdle and buys a new one. The old one is sold on to newlywed Mary Rees who leaves for her honeymoon in London. This results in a frantic effort to recover it both by Griffiths, still after the stashed money, and Evans who wants to clear his name of accusations of theft.

Cast

Esmond Knight as Evans the Milk
Maudie Edwards as Mrs. Griffiths
Meredith Edwards as Griffiths the Hearse
Petra Davies as Mary Rees
Glyn Houston as Dai Thomas
Tonie MacMillan as Mrs. Macey
Kenneth Evans as Sergt. Mortimer
Roger Maxwell as Chairman of Bench
Humphrey Morton as hotel manager
Ivan Craig as Hotel Detective
Rigby Foster as Mr. Morgan
Isabel George as hotel receptionist
Mark Singleton as waiter
Denis Shaw as choirmaster
Arthur Mullard as Court Police Officer
Jim O'Brady as Hotel Doorman
Pat Ryan as juror
Bill Shine as juror

Production

The film was shot at Walton Studios near London with location shooting taking place in the capital. The film's sets were designed by the art director Don Russell.

Critical reception

The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "Here is an idea which in French hands might be light, gay and funny. As it is, it moves ponderously and sadly, with good lines poorly rendered and situations amateurishly acted, though it is obvious that immense efforts are being made to be slick and polished. Esmond Knight will never make a good 'Milk,' but the 'Hearse' is realistically the unsuccessful undertaker."^[3]

Kine Weekly wrote: "Lively, if unpretentious, small-town farcical comedy, with a Welsh accent. ... The majority of the players are equal to story demands, but both the direction and the staging are a trifle rough. Its foolproof central idea should, however, get it over with the industrial and provincial masses. ... The picture has quite a piquant tale and one that lends itself logically to striptease, but the fun is restricted by meagre production. Cheap presentation also makes it a doubtful proposition for first-class halls, but the majority of the gags are certain to raise chuckles in most other situations."^[4]

In British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959 David Quinlan rated the film as "mediocre", writing: "Good comedy idea ploddingly handled."^[5]

References

^ Chibnall, Steve; McFarlane, Brian (2009). The British 'B' Film. London: BFI/Bloomsbury. p. 203. ISBN 978-1-8445-7319-6.
^ "Girdle of Gold". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
^ "Girdle of Gold". The Monthly Film Bulletin. 19 (216): 127. 1 January 1952 – via ProQuest.
^ "Girdle of Gold". Kine Weekly. 424 (2352): 24. 24 July 1952 – via ProQuest.
^ Quinlan, David (1984). British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959. London: B.T. Batsford Ltd. p. 315. ISBN 0-7134-1874-5.